Drill rod for breaking up the edges of boreholes and a method for breaking up the edges of boreholes

ABSTRACT

A drill rod for breaking up the edge of a hole comprises a cylindrical body, a buffer and injector nozzles. The drill rod injects air and water through its injector nozzles at the material deposited at the edge of the hole, thus achieving the breaking up thereof without the need to use auxiliary equipment or manual operations. A method for breaking up the edge of a hole is described, including using a rod to break up the edge of a hole, and comprising the stages necessary to perform this operation using a drill.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority to Brazilian Patent Application No. 102018001919-8, filed Jan. 29, 2018. The disclosure of the priority application is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure describes a drill rod configured to break up the edges of boreholes. This disclosure also describes a method for breaking up the edges of boreholes which uses a drill rod.

Drill rods consist of metallic rods designed to allow drills to boreholes at great depths. Said rods are associable with each other, making it possible to associate two or more rods to drill holes at greater depths.

Drills are tools used to make holes, principally holes used in mining. These tools are equipped with a rotating head, designed to rotate and move the rods in a vertical direction during the drilling.

Said drills commonly comprise carousels to support the rods when they are not in use, where this carousel is basically a structure equipped with spaces for fixing the rods that are not in use, which is to say, which are not associated with the rotating head. The carousel is capable of realizing a rotational movement to position the rods so that they are associated with the rotating head.

These drills make their holes using drill bits fixed to the end of the rod, pressing it against the surface of the rock to make the hole.

To drill holes, the machines are also equipped with a mechanism for injecting water and air inside the holes. Said mechanisms are used for two distinct purposes, with the mechanism for injecting air being used to clean the hole, enabling the material extracted by the drill bit to reach the surface and the mechanism for injecting water designed to minimize the dust generated in this process.

As such, the drill injects air and water through the inside of its rods until they reach the drill bit and, consequently, the end of the hole, causing the material from the bottom of the hole to be transferred outside without generating an excessive volume of dust from this transfer.

As this material is discharged outside the hole only by the mechanism for injecting the air of the drill, this material accumulates around the hole, forming a ring-like mound around it, known as the “edge of the hole” or “mouth of the hole”.

This material deposited around the hole is adverse to the drilling process, since it results in a loss of depth for these holes due to the return of material to the inside of the hole caused by elements such as wind and rain at the drill site.

The loss of depth of these holes in mining is extremely adverse. When these holes constitute blast holes or geophysical forming holes, for example, they have to have a precise depth for the placement of explosives or the profiling of their interior, respectively.

Moreover regarding blast holes, when the depth of the holes is reduced due to the return of the material deposited at the edge of the hole, the quantity of explosives that may be placed in their interior is also prejudiced, requiring the hole re-drilling. In extreme cases, the surface has to be detonated with a smaller quantity of explosives, which expected material breaking up for each detonation fails.

As such, it is extremely important that there be some device and/or method devised to remove this material deposited around the holes made by the drills, which operation is known as breaking up the edge of the hole.

In the state of the art, the breaking up of the edge of the hole is commonly realized manually by the operator of the drill itself. Said operator, after concluding the drilling of the hole, gets down from the drill and carries out the breaking up of the edge of the hole using a hoe. This breaking up procedure is carried out manually by the operator, who strikes the hoe against the material deposited around the hole, forcing it away from the hole.

As such, in accordance with the state of the art, this operation requires great physical effort from the operator, requiring him to move the hoe manually against the material deposited around the hole to achieve the breaking up of the edge of the hole. This operation is also not ergonomic, and can cause repetitive strain injury, generating a risk to the physical integrity of the professional responsible for this work and a labour liability for his or her employer.

In addition to this, this operation, in accordance with the state of the art, requires substantial time for its execution, obliging the drill operator to stop the equipment until he performs the breaking up of the edge of the hole, preventing the creation of a new hole until the edge of the hole is cleared.

However, the operation of breaking up the edge of the hole, in accordance with the state of the art, occurs without any safety for the operator, who works close to the steep edges of the benches of the mines, exposed to heat, sun, rain and dust.

In the state of the art, there are some patent documents which reveal devices for removing the material deposited around the hole and thus removing it from the edge of the hole to prevent its return.

One of these documents is US2009308660, which reveals a tool used in drilling equipment during the drilling of holes used in mining. Said equipment comprises two central axes and two brushes.

The brushes are rotated in opposite directions to each other, and are capable of moving the material removed far from the mouth of the hole. The rotation of the brushes is achieved using central axes, which are activated by an engine dedicated only to the auxiliary equipment.

The equipment revealed in US2009308660 has to be individually transported and reinstalled at every hole to be drilled, increasing the complexity, time and cost of this operation.

In addition to this, the equipment of US2009308660 requires an activating system for brushes which is independent of the movement of the drill.

Another document of the state of the art, US20140238751, reveals an auxiliary tool for use in the drilling of holes by drilling equipment, such as drilling platforms. Said equipment is designed to remove the material accumulated around the hole, preventing its return to the site of origin.

The equipment of US20140238751 comprises supporting elements, flexible blades and a hydraulic engine. The equipment is positioned in the drill rod, such that it passes through the centre of the equipment, allowing it to rotate freely. This equipment is fixed by means of supporting elements, allowing it to be winched into the desired position, achieving communication between the equipment and the drilling platform for its hoisting.

The hydraulic engine is designed to enable the equipment to rotate independently of the drill rod. The rotation of the equipment consequently moves the flexible blades, which are positioned perpendicularly on the radial face of the equipment.

Said flexible blades, when rotated, move the material which is being removed from the hole, ensuring that the material removed is kept at a distance from the mouth of the hole.

One disadvantage of the equipment revealed in US20140238751 is that this equipment consists of an auxiliary tool dedicated only to this function of removing the material deposited around the edge of the hole, which must be transported and reinstalled for each hole to be drilled, preventing it from being transported together with the drill, thus increasing the complexity and cost of this operation.

In addition to this, to achieve the removal of the material deposited around the edge of the hole using flexible shovels, the equipment of US20140238751 must be equipped with a system which independently activates the drill.

As such, there is not, in the state of the art, a drill Rod which enables the breaking up of the edge of the hole without its being necessary to use another independent tool, thus increasing safety and productivity, and reducing the costs of drilling operation.

However, there is not, in the state of the art, a method which allows for the realization of the drilling process, together with the breaking up of the edge of the hole using only the drill, without the need for other auxiliary equipment or manual operations.

SUMMARY

An aspect of this disclosure is intended to provide a drill rod to allow the breaking up of the edge of holes.

An aspect of this disclosure is also intended to provide a drill rod for realizing the breaking up of the edge of holes, which increases safety and productivity, and reduces the costs of the drilling operation.

Finally, an aspect of this disclosure also seeks to provide a method for realizing the drilling and breaking up of the edges of holes using the same drill, without the need for auxiliary equipment or manual operations.

In one configuration, this disclosure reveals a drill rod for breaking up the edge of a hole, comprising: a cylindrical body equipped with screws at its two ends; a buffer fixed inside the cylindrical body, near to its lower end, which end is closer to the ground; and at least two injector nozzles arranged on the radial face of the cylindrical body.

The buffer of the rod seals the inside of the cylindrical body of the rod, being preferably equipped with three injector nozzles linearly arranged on the horizontal and separated at 120°.

The injector nozzles are arranged at an angle of 105 to 120° in a clockwise direction in relation to the vertical, configured to enable communication between the inside of the cylindrical body and the external environment.

This disclosure also reveals a method for breaking up the edge of the hole which uses the drill rod to perform this function, where the rod is equipped with a rotating head and a carousel, which comprises the following phases: i. decoupling a common rod from the rotating head; ii. turning the carousel and positioning the rod, allowing it to be coupled to the rotating head; iii. coupling the rod to the rotating head; iv. raising the rotating head, separating the rod from the carousel; v. advancing the rotating head in a vertical direction, bringing it towards the ground until the injector nozzles of the rod are at the same height as the edge of the hole; vi. activating the mechanisms for injecting air and water of the drill and rotating the rotating head; vii. raising the rotating head until the end of the length thereof, allowing the rod to be decoupled from the rotating head; viii. Activating the carousel, allowing it to receive the rod; ix. uncoupling the rod from the rotating head; and x. again activating the carousel and coupling the shared rod to the rotating head.

State vi of the method of this disclosure is responsible for breaking up the edge of the hole, injecting air and water at the edge of the hole through the injector nozzles of the rod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

This disclosure is described in more detail based on the respective figures:

FIG. 1—reveals a frontal, cross-section view of the rod for breaking up the edge of the holes of this disclosure.

FIG. 2—reveals a frontal view of the drill performing the drilling of a hole.

FIG. 3—reveals a frontal view of the drill performing the breaking up of the edge of the hole using the rod to break up the edge of the hole of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure proposes a drill 11 rod 13 for realizing the breaking up of the edges 12 of holes 10, being basically a common drill 11 rod 13 equipped with adaptations for performing the operation of breaking up edges 12.

Said drill 11 rod 13 of this disclosure is composed of a cylindrical body 1, air injection nozzles and a buffer 3 (see FIG. 1), with each of these elements and their functions being described in detail below.

The cylindrical body 1 comprises the body of the rod 13 of this disclosure, which rod is equipped with 1′ screws at its ends for association with other rods 13 and also with the rotating head 15 of the drill 11.

The 1′ screws are positioned at its ends preferably consist of a 1′ screw of the male type at one end and a 1′ screw of the female type at the opposite end, ensuring a perfect connection with the screws of other rods.

Said cylindrical body 1 possesses a sealed interior, configured so that the mechanism for injecting air and water of the drill 11 is able to inject the cited fluids into the inside of the rod 13.

The buffer 3 is fixed close to the lower end of the cylindrical body 1, which end is positioned closer to the ground. Said buffer 3 is fixed to the sealed interior of the cylindrical body 1, which is configured to prevent the air and water of the drill injection mechanism 11 from passing through the same.

As such, all the air and water injected inside the rod 13 does not pass to the next rod or to the drill bit, remaining sealed inside the cylindrical body 1 of the rod 13 of this disclosure.

The injector nozzles 2 are positioned on the radial face of the cylindrical body 1 of the rod 13, being configured to allow the air and water injected by the drilling mechanism 11 to be expelled through the cylindrical body 1 under pressure.

As such, the injector nozzles 2 are able to inject the air and water from the injection mechanism of the drill 11 in a perpendicular direction in relation to the rod 13, causing this air to be injected at the material arranged around the hole 10.

With the injection of the air and water from the injector nozzles 2 at the material arranged around the hole 10, this material is removed from the edge 12 of the hole 10, thus performing the breaking up of the edge 12 of the hole 10 simply through the use of this rod 13, without the need for any other auxiliary equipment.

In one configuration of the rod 13, three injector nozzles 2 are positioned on the radial face of the cylindrical body 1, which are linearly arranged in relation to the horizontal and separated at an angle of 120°.

Also in one configuration of the rod 13, the injector nozzles 2 are positioned at an angle of between 105 and 120° in a clockwise direction in relation to the vertical, which is to say, in relation to the rod 13, thus assisting in the breaking up of the edge 12 of the hole 10. This angle is indicated as e in FIG. 1 to help in the understanding of its orientation.

Said angle of the injector nozzles 2, in one configuration, is defined in accordance with the volume of material accumulated at the edge 12 of the hole 10, such that, for holes 10 with a depth greater than 20 meters, an angle of 120° is used, while for holes with a depth of less than 20 meters an angle of 105° is used.

In alternative configurations, other numbers of injector nozzles can be arranged (two injector nozzles at 180° from each other, for example). However, in addition to the 120° spacing, other forms of spacing can be used, which do not require linear arrangement, for example.

In addition to this, in a further alternative configuration, the injector nozzles 2 do not need to possess an angle of 105 to 120° in relation to the vertical axis, and may be positioned at a different angle appropriate to their function.

Having described the drill 11 rod 13 of this disclosure, along with the other elements that comprise it, below is described the method for breaking up the edge 12 of the hole 10 which uses the rod 13 to break up the edge 12 of the hole 10.

The breaking up of the edge 12 of the hole 10 comprises removing the material deposited around the hole 10. As such, the method is only initiated after the making of the hole 10. It is noted that, to make the hole 10, the same drill 11 is used. However, the rod 13 of this disclosure is not used. Rather a common rod 9 is used, positioned on the rotating head 14 of the drill 11 to make the hole 10 while the rod 13 remains on the carousel 14 (see FIG. 2).

As such, the first stage of the method of this disclosure—which is to say, with the hole 10 already made—comprises uncoupling the common rod 9 from the rotating head 15 of the drill 11, positioning it on the carousel 14. This stage is performed automatically by the operator of the drill 11, being commanded by the command panel of this equipment.

The second stage comprises turning the carousel 14 of the drill 11, allowing the rod 13 of this disclosure to be positioned so that it is coupled to the rotating head 15 of the drill 11. This turning of the carousel is also realized automatically, being controlled by the command panel of the equipment.

The third stage comprises the coupling of the rod 13, already positioned during the second stage, to the rotating head 15 of the drill 11. This coupling of the rod 13 with the drill is realized through the 1′ screw positioned at the end of the cylindrical body 1, allowing it to be securely fixed to the rotating head 15 of the drill 11.

The fourth stage comprises raising the rotating head 15 of the drill 11, causing the rod 13 of this disclosure to be separated from the carousel 14 and the carousel 14 to be withdrawn. Said stage is also realized automatically by the operator of the command panel of the equipment.

The fifth stage comprises advancing the rotating head 15 of the drill 11 in a vertical direction, lowering it and positioning the injector nozzles 2 of the rod 13 at the same height as the edge 12 of the hole 10, realized before the first stage of the method.

With the rod 13 already positioned, the sixth stage is then initiated, activating the mechanism for injecting the air and water of the drill 11, together with the rotation of its rotating head 15. As such, with the rod 13 turning and its injector nozzles 2 injecting air and water at the edge 12 of the hole 10, this is broken up, which is to say, the material deposited at its edge 12 is moved away from the hole 10.

This stage lasts around 1 minute, leaving the rod 13 turning and injecting air and water at the edge 12 of the hole 10 until the entire edge 12 is broken up and the material separated from the hole 10.

The seventh stage is initiated after the conclusion of the breaking up of the edge 12 of the hole 10, which stage comprises the raising of the rotating head 15 until the end of its length, thus allowing the rod 13 of this disclosure to be uncoupled from the rotating head 15.

With the rotating head 15 now at the end of its length, which is to say, fully raised, the eighth stage is then initiated, which comprises the activation of the carousel 14 of the drill 11 so that it can receive the rod 13.

In the ninth stage, the rod 13 of this disclosure is uncoupled from the rotating head 15 of the drill and positioned on its carousel 14, thus allowing the common rod 9 to be again coupled to the rotating head 15.

In the tenth and final stage, the carousel 14 is rotated and the common rod 9 is again coupled to the rotating head 15 of the drill 11, thus allowing for the continuation of the making of other holes.

As such, having described the drill 11 rod 13 for breaking up the edge 12 of holes 10 and the method for breaking up the edge 12 of holes 10 which uses the drill 11 rod 13, it may be concluded that this disclosure achieves the proposed objectives, reducing costs, and increasing safety and productivity in the operation of breaking up the edges 12 of holes 10.

In addition to this, this disclosure allows for the entire drilling operation to be performed by the same drill 11, from the opening of the hole 10 to the breaking up of the edge 12 of this hole 10 without the use of auxiliary equipment or any manual interventions.

Thus, it should be understood that the drill 11 rod 13 for breaking up the edge 12 of holes 10, and the method for breaking up the edge 12 of holes 10 hereby described are only some of the modes and examples of situations that may occur; the real scope of protection of the object of this disclosure is described in the claims. 

1. A drill rod for breaking up an edge of a hole, comprising: a cylindrical body equipped with screws at its two ends; a buffer fixed to the inside of the cylindrical body, close to a lower end of the cylindrical body, the lower end being an end closer to the ground; and at least two injector nozzles positioned on a radial face of the cylindrical body.
 2. The drill rod in accordance with claim 1, wherein the buffer seals an inside of the cylindrical body of the rod.
 3. The drill rod in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rod comprises three injector nozzles linearly arranged along a horizontal direction and separated at 120°.
 4. The drill rod in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least two injector nozzles are arranged at an angle of 105 to 120° in a clockwise direction in relation to a vertical axis.
 5. The drill rod in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least two injector nozzles allows for communication between an inside of the cylindrical body and an external environment.
 6. A method for breaking up an edge of a hole using a drill rod equipped with a rotatable head and a carousel, comprising: uncoupling a common rod from the rotatable head; turning the carousel and positioning the drill rod, allowing the carousel to be coupled to the rotatable head; coupling the drill rod to the rotatable head; raising the rotatable head, and separating the rod from the carousel; advancing the rotatable head in a vertical direction, moving it towards the ground until injector nozzles of the drill rod are at the same height as an edge of the hole; activating a mechanism for injecting air and water into the drill rod and rotating the rotatable head; raising the rotatable head until the end of its length, allowing the drill rod to be uncoupled from the rotatable head; activating the carousel, allowing it to receive the drill rod; uncoupling the drill rod from the rotatable head; and again activating the carousel and coupling the common rod to the rotating head.
 7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the activating of the mechanism for injecting air and water into the drill rod and rotating the rotatable head is responsible for breaking up the edge of the hole, by injecting air and water at the edge of the hole through the injector nozzles of the rod. 